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Friday, March 25, 2011

Locked The Keys In The Car

Taking my eleven and twelve-year old daughters shopping is anything but dull. Something unexpected always happens. Usually I'm embarrassed beyond belief by my younger daughter, which I am happy to say was not the case today. However my older, responsible, trustworthy, follows every rule daughter decided it was her turn to make sure our day wouldn't go as planned.

With today being a No School Day, we decided to take the drive to The Shops at Wiregrass down in Tampa. Being in the car for an hour, always requires an immediate bathroom break. Amidst their bickering about where we'd go first, I ushered them into the Barnes & Noble since I was sure they'd have a bathroom. Being in a bookstore is like heaven for me, and probably my only chance to visit one today.

On our way out, my oldest realized she left her phone in the car. Being that I'd just gotten her this new phone a few weeks back, I didn't want it heating up in the car. Any of my Facebook friends already know the Saga of the Green Cell Phone. I only shook my head and allowed her to walk back across the parking lot to retrieve her phone watching her the whole way. She was so happy I let her to go back to the car on her own and came back with a huge smile on her face.

The smile quickly changed to panic when I asked her for the keys. She patted her pockets, looked in her purse, and showed me her phone. I gave her the look only a mother can give and told her, "Don't even..." as the three of us walked across the street. And sure enough, there were the keys sitting on the back seat. After a few crocidile tears, which she can turn on at the drop of a hat, we made our way back into the mall to shop as planned and get in touch with their dad who had the spare key.

To my surprise and delight, the only slight reprimand I had to give my youngest was to stop saying, "This looks like old lady stuff!" especially when we walked by a store full of older women. She's my fashion guru, and while I wholeheartedly agreed with her assessment, there are times when you need to keep your opinions to yourself. It's a life lesson hard for children to grasp and one some adults never have.

All in all it was a great day. Life moves us at such a fast pace. There's never enough time to just stop and spend it with the kids doing whatever we want. Being stranded for a few hours didn't hurt any of us. We had a good time laughing, talking, and wandering into a few stores we probably wouldn't have.
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